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The Stories

Rights of Passage: Canada at 150 is full of human rights stories. Thirty-three stories in fact. We have selected five stories to share with you. How many did you know already? Visit Rights of Passage and discover a human rights story that you'll want to share!

The Bows and Arrows

Bows and Arrows union leader William Nahanee surrounded by a group of longshoremen, Vancouver, 1889. Local 526 fought for inclusion, respect, better wages and improved working conditions. (Photo: Charles S. Bailey/City of Vancouver Archives, Mi P2)

The Squamish First Nations’ ways of life were disrupted when a sawmill was built on Burrard Inlet, British Columbia, in 1863. Following that, many Indigenous men began to work on the waterfront. In 1906 they formed Local 526 of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). The IWW sought to organize all workers, regardless of skill, race or gender.

Local 526 was known as the Bows and Arrows. Its leadership was mostly Indigenous. Members fought against racial prejudice on the waterfront and asserted the right of Indigenous people to unionize alongside non-Indigenous workers.

One Woman’s Challenge

In 1941, Carrie Best learned that a group of Black teenagers had been forcibly removed from the “whites only” section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. She wrote a letter to the owner of the theatre and argued that all Canadians should have the same rights, regardless of race.

Carrie Best, founder and editor of The Clarion, the first Black-owned newspaper in Nova Scotia, date unknown. The newspaper emphasized issues of racial justice and equality. (Photo: With permission from The Chronicle Herald)

When the Roseland refused to change its policy of segregation, Best and her son Cal went to the theatre and defiantly sat in the “whites only” section. They were removed by a police officer and ended up in court. Carrie Best lost her trial; the judge did not acknowledge the racist policy of segregation.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms reflected Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s vision for a united nation based on equal rights for all Canadians. It resulted from a process of national consultation. People concerned with women’s rights, LGBTTQ rights, Indigenous rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, and others shared their views on the proposed Charter.

The Charter protects fundamental freedoms and democratic rights. It also prohibits discrimination on the basis of colour, religion, sex, age, and physical or mental disability. It affirms, but does not define, pre-existing Indigenous and treaty rights. The Charter has been interpreted in different ways since its enactment, allowing the scope of its protections to evolve.

Queen Elizabeth II signing Canada’s constitutional proclamation, Ottawa, April 17, 1982. With this proclamation, Canada cut its last constitutional ties with the United Kingdom and established the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. (Photo: Ron Polling/ The Canadian Press)

The enactment of the Charter was part of a broader agreement to transfer authority of the nation’s highest law – principally, the British North America Act – from Great Britain to Canada. This process was controversial. Some provinces were concerned that the federal government was acting unilaterally. The agreement was ultimately concluded without Quebec’s participation. Subsequent efforts to secure the support of all provinces failed. In 1990, Manitoba MLA and Red Sucker Lake First Nation Chief Elijah Harper refused to sign the Meech Lake Accord. He claimed the agreement did not adequately recognize the rights of Indigenous peoples. The subsequent Charlottetown Accord was defeated by popular referendum in 1992.

Anti-Personnel Landmines and Human Security

In 1997, Canada became the first country to sign the Ottawa Treaty. It has now been ratified by 162 countries around the world. Those countries agreed to cease the production and use of landmines, to destroy existing stockpiles, to aid mine victims, and to participate in mine awareness education.

Mine awareness kit, 1992-1995

Canadian Armed Forces landmine experts used kits like this one from the United Nations Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia to teach locals to recognize and avoid landmines. Mine awareness kit: Canadian War Museum, 20030023-027.(Photo: Jessica Sigurdson/CMHR)

Such efforts also illustrate a new focus on human security. This concept emphasizes the need to protect individuals from a broad range of threats such as armed conflict, disease, terrorism or natural disasters. Human security became an important part of Canada’s foreign policy beginning in the 1990s.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy receiving a standing ovation in the House of Commons, Ottawa, March 1999. Axworthy played a key role in securing global support for the Ottawa Treaty. (Photo: Tom Hanson/The Canadian Press)

Far From Home

The Ahiarmiut of Ennadai Lake, also known as the Ihalmiut, were one of several communities forcibly relocated by the Canadian government between 1949-1958.

When the plane arrived to take the Ahiarmiut away from their homes, no interpreter was present. No notice was given. They were not permitted to bring tools or supplies. Starvation set in when caribou herds failed to appear in their new location.

Toy canoe, around 1956

Toys like this one were recovered on site when community members returned to Ennadai Lake in 1985, affirming the group’s connection to their lands. Toy Canoe: David Serkoak. (Photo: Jessica Sigurdson/CMHR)

The rights of the Ahiarmiut were rooted in land and traditional knowledge. In 1985, community members went back home to Ennadai Lake. This return has led to renewed efforts to preserve their traditional knowledge and history.

Silas Illungiayok drum dancing while women sing in a circle at Ennadai Lake, 1985. For many Ahiarmiut, the trip in 1985 was the last journey home to Ennadai Lake. (Photo: David Serkoak)